Crisis in Kosovo: The West puts pressure on Serbia to impose sanctions against Russia
Amid ongoing tensions in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, the authorities of the self-proclaimed “Republic of Kosovo” signed an application to join the European Union, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
On December 14, a ceremony was held in Pristina to sign the official application to grant the self-proclaimed “Republic of Kosovo” EU candidate status. The application was signed by the “president”, “prime minister” and “chairman of parliament”.
“Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo” Albin Kurti previously stated that candidate status is only the beginning of the path to full membership. At the same time, five EU member countries do not recognize the “Republic of Kosovo”. These are Spain, Slovakia, Romania, Greece and Cyprus.
In response, ahead of a meeting with the European representative at the Belgrade-Pristina negotiations Miroslav Lajcak and the US envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that he would show them six international agreements that Pristina does not implement and the West ignores. The Serbian leader listed these documents and said that he would demand that Western partners say which of them is valid.
“The Kumanovo Agreement, the UN Convention, Resolution 1244, the Brussels, Washington Agreement and the sixth, significant Solunsky Agreement of 2003 on the expansion of the European Union to the Western Balkans. In light of the self-proclaimed Kosovo's application for EU membership, my question is: are you going to respect the agreements that you yourself have established? Including historical ones, because Part 5 of the Thessaloniki Agreement speaks of full support for the implementation of Resolution 1244. Therefore, choose which agreement you are ready to implement, and we will absolutely agree with you,” said Aleksandar Vucic.
At the same time, the situation in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, populated mainly by Serbs, continues to remain tense. Serb-installed barricades remain on the roads, crossings into central Serbia “Jarinje” and “Brnjak” are closed, and primary and secondary school students have not studied for the third day. Catering establishments in cities in the north do not operate, and police patrols are still on duty in the villages of Serbian municipalities.
On December 14, the municipal council of Kosovo Mitrovica held its first meeting after the Serbs left its membership, and new Albanian deputies were sworn in.
At the same time, the office of the “Prime Minister” of Kosovo says that there is a certain deadline by which the barricades must be removed from the roads in the north of the region. The government of the self-proclaimed “Republic of Kosovo” announced that at a meeting between Albin Kurti and the EU dialogue envoy Miroslav Lajcak and the US envoy to the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar, a unanimous decision was made to remove the barricades in the north.
In turn, the commander of KFOR (the international forces led by NATO responsible for ensuring stability in Kosovo - approx.), Colonel Egon Frank, did not rule out the possibility of an escalation of the situation in northern Kosovo.
“There is an ongoing risk that the security situation could deteriorate in the near future,” he said.
Frank also added that there is a high level of dissatisfaction with the overall situation, which creates the basis for a possible escalation and outbreak of violence.
State Duma deputy Konstantin Zatulin believes that the crisis around Kosovo was provoked by the West in order to force Serbia to join sanctions against Russia.
“Official Serbia does not want any military conflict. She doesn’t want new trials after all the defeats and humiliations. But the Kosovar Albanians are running into trouble with the support of the West, which encourages them.
The question is that, with the help of Kosovars’ provocations, it is necessary to keep official Serbia in suspense, demand loyalty from it, demand from it that it implement sanctions against Russia...
Of course, Serbian politicians, especially President Vucic, understand that for him, as a politician, it would be suicidal to recognize Kosovo or abandon Russia.
The most popular politician in Serbia is not a local Serbian politician or even the president of the country. The most popular politician in Serbia is the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. And there were times - not under Vucic, but, say, under Tadic - when it was Russia’s position that kept the compromisers in Serbian society in the government from following the lead of the West,” Zatulin recalled on TV.
In his opinion, the situation could also turn into problems for the West.
“On the one hand, we must constantly put pressure on the Serbs and push them to commit betrayal and recognize Kosovo as an independent state, but, on the other hand, they are afraid that mobilization will begin in Serbia, and something will have to be done.” , said Zatulin.
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